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• Jeff Foust
Launch services provider SEOPS is adding a second dedicated Waymaker rideshare mission less than three months after announcing the first. The expansion reflects demand for dedicated rideshare opportunities and gives satellite operators another path to secure launch capacity through SEOPS.
Commercial Space
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Launch services provider SEOPS is adding a second dedicated Waymaker rideshare mission less than three months after announcing the first. The expansion reflects demand for dedicated rideshare opportunities and gives satellite operators another path to secure launch capacity through SEOPS.
Investment firms representing ultra-wealthy individuals in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East have accumulated $3.8 billion of exposure to SpaceX. The holdings demonstrate how family offices are securing access to sought-after private aerospace opportunities and channeling substantial capital into the commercial space sector.
High activity
AST SpaceMobile has received temporary authorization from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to test satellite connectivity using spectrum in the 800 MHz band. The approval advances the company’s effort to evaluate satellite-enabled communications in a regulated terrestrial-frequency range.
Lynk Global has completed its merger with Omnispace and rebranded as Elveo Mobile, combining Lynk’s direct-to-device satellite capabilities with globally coordinated S-band spectrum. The company aims to move beyond basic messaging and broaden satellite connectivity for standard mobile devices.
With launch capacity constrained, satellite operators are highlighting signed launch agreements to investors and customers. Securing rides to orbit is becoming a commercial differentiator, linking constellation deployment schedules and customer commitments more directly to launch-provider availability.
High activity
Firefly Aerospace is developing a next-generation medium-lift rocket while refining its operational Alpha smallsat launcher, targeting both commercial and government markets. The company’s reported $1.5 billion backlog and 95% of 2026 revenue booked support its growth outlook, although cash burn and valuation remain material risks.
SpaceMD will use Starfall for a space-based pharmaceutical manufacturing mission, positioning low Earth orbit as a potential production environment for treatments targeting diseases including cancer and Alzheimer’s. The effort underscores the expanding commercial-space sector’s interest in translating orbital manufacturing into medical applications.
NASA expects to award three more lunar task orders through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program this year. The planned missions include an orbiter intended to replace the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, extending the agency’s lunar observation capabilities as commercial providers take on more exploration work.
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